


Ho Ho the Mistletoe

by BriMarie



Series: Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-ling in Love [1]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: 25 Days of Christmas, 25 Days of Fic-mas, Childhood Friends, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Holidays, Humor, Merry Christmas, Mistletoe, Nini Salazar roberts - Freeform, Ricky Bowen Loves Nini Salazar-Roberts, Some Humor, high school musical the musical the series - Freeform, hsmtmts, ricky bowen - Freeform, rini - Freeform, unaware feelings, xmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMarie/pseuds/BriMarie
Summary: The gang tries to get Ricky and Nini under the mistletoe.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-ling in Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012539
Comments: 12
Kudos: 31





	Ho Ho the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays! Starting this holiday season off with a cute little drabble. I plan on posting about three more holiday fics this month including New Years Eve.

The theater gang were all hanging out in the theater after a rehearsal for the Christmas Carol. Most of the group had been discussing what they planned on doing during the break and if they wanted to get together at some time.

Carlos had realized that two essential people in their group were MIA. He glanced around the auditorium searching for the pair and spotted them alone talking amongst themselves at the piano. Nini had her head resting on his shoulder as they both played random keys.

He whispered something in her ear that made her giggle and nudge his arm teasingly. Carlos smiled at how cute they were being. 

Gina nudges his arm. "Hey Carlos, are you listening?" 

"What? Oh, no sorry. I was just distracted by those two oblivious lovebirds at the piano." 

Carlos pointed at the pair and the group all directed their eyes to them. They all smiled at how adorable they looked in their own little bubble. 

"I still can't believe they haven't gotten together yet. I've known both since kindergarten and can confirm they've had it bad for each other since forever. Neither have said it out loud, but it's obvious." Red says. 

Gina huffs. "I've only known them for a year and could tell by the second day that they loved one another."

The others all agree. "It'd be nice to see them finally just kiss and get it over with so we don't have to deal with the 'will they won't they' thing anymore." Seb states. 

A light bulb went off in Kourtney's head. "What if they did?"

The others all looked at her as if she had grown horns. Carlos raised a brow. "What do you mean?" 

"Well it's the holiday season, so this is the perfect atmosphere for romance. And it just so happens that there is a specific object made for kissing."

Ashlyn perked up when she caught what she was getting at. "Are you suggesting we get them under the mistletoe?"

Kourtney nodded and the rest of the group all seemed to be on board with that plan. 

"How do we sneak them under without them noticing though? I feel like it's hard not to notice. Also, someone else could easily accidentally walk under it with them." Red asks. 

"Let's aim for places where they usually hang out in." Kourtney suggests.

Carlos smirks. "I like where this is going."

"We should plan this out later at my place. I don't want them to possibly overhear us." Ashlyn says. 

All of a sudden, the doors to the theater door open revealing a disheveled and feather covered EJ. He runs in front of the group with a crazy look in his eyes. 

"Whoever is giving me the 12 days of Christmas as my secret santa gift, for the love of god _stop._ "

The sound of French hens could be heard from the door, alarming EJ. "I can't escape them." He ran to the opposite side of the gym as the others all chuckled at him.

***

During the evening they came up with the plan, that was eventually named Operation Mistletoe, they chose the following Monday to begin the mission. 

Ashlyn had been in charge of placing the mistletoe in Nini's dressing room after rehearsal. People rarely ever entered her room unless she was already in it. Ricky would usually greet her there, and they'd speak in the doorframe. So the gang figured they wouldn't be interrupted. 

The gang had all been watching Ricky waiting at the door from the sidelines trying their best not to look obvious. EJ had joined them soon after completely covered in geese feathers from his secret santa gift. 

Kourtney alerted the gang when she saw Nini was walking towards him. They all felt their hands getting sweaty from the anticipation. Nini had given him a quick hug, and they started talking amongst themselves.

Neither seemed to have noticed the huge plant above them, and the group wanted to scream. Gina groans. "How the hell do they not see that hideous thing above their heads?" 

"I'm almost tempted to just tell them, but I'm pretty sure they'd both flee if I did." Carlos says. 

The sound of heels could be heard throughout the room, signaling Ms. Jenn was nearby. "Nini, there you are. Natalie needs you in the lobby." 

"Sorry to cut this short Ricky, but duty calls."

"No problem. We can catch up on the way home."

"Sounds like a plan."

They give each other a side hug and walk their separate ways. Ms. Jenn had looked up and seen the huge mistletoe. She reached up and snatched it off. "How'd you get here?" She tossed it in the trash on her way to her office. 

The gang all let out a groan in unison. "How did Ms. Jenn see it but not them? These two are blind." Big Red says. 

Kourtney shrugs. "I don't know, but what I do know is that this will be harder than we thought. I guess we have to go with plan b."

***

The gang was aware that the music room kids had recently placed a mistletoe over the piano as a gag that no one took seriously, but the group of friends were hoping the pair would. 

Nini had come here to play the grand piano every Wednesday. Ricky would usually tag along a little later. 

The gang had been hiding in the instrument closet, cracking the door to watch from the distance. 

"I haven't been this far in a closet since middle school." Carlos says under his breath.

Seb nods. "Amen to that."

Kourtney places her finger on her lips. "Shh Nini could hear us." 

Ricky had come in ten minutes later. "Hey Neens!"

She lit up like a light at the sight of him, scooting over to make room for him. "Hey you. Ready to finish our song?"

He plopped down beside her, scooted as close as possible to her, and hugged her by the waist.

"Born ready."

They begin playing notes completely engrossed in their music. It seemed as if neither have noticed the mistletoe dangling above them, and it irritated the prying group to no ends. 

"Maybe we can do something to intervene without getting caught." Gina suggests.

"Yeah but how?" Ashlyn says. 

Big Red snaps his fingers. "I got it." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slingshot.

Kourtney sighed, "I hate that no part of me is shocked you have a slingshot for whatever reason." 

"Hey, it comes in handy sometimes, like now." He places an eraser in it, carefully aims it at the mistletoe, and shoots smacking the plant perfectly. 

Both of them look up and finally see the mistletoe. Ricky eyes it skeptically. "Is that what I think it is?"

Nini faintly blushes and nods. "Yep, that is indeed a mistletoe."

"Those were always so silly to me."

He doesn't miss the slightly disappointed look in her eyes. 

She blushes as she presses random keys. "I guess they kinda are."

"Oh did you wanna um..." He can't seem to make himself finish that thought, but she already knew what he was referring to. 

"I mean, why not? If you're cool with it of course."

He blushed. "Uh sure. Yeah let's do it."

They slowly face one another, eyeing each others lips. The gang were all on the edge of their seats as they peeped on the couple. 

Ricky rests his hand on her face and begins to approach her lips. She closes her eyes and waits for him to meet her in the middle. Right before they were about to kiss, a loud screeching noise comes from outside.

The sound makes them jump apart and stare out the window to see what it was. It was EJ running from a flock of aggressive swans. They both chuckled. 

"What is this the seventh day of his secret santa gift?" He asks.

"Yep, he has five more days of this." 

They both look at each other and become red in the face when they realized what they were about to do just a few seconds ago. They both avert their eyes anywhere but at one another.

Ricky clears his throat. "We should get back to the song."

She nods. "Yeah, the song."

They both start playing again and tried their best to take their mind off that almost kiss, but neither could. 

Nini nervously looks over at him before planting a brief kiss on his cheek. He paused for a moment and gazed over at her. When their eyes met, they both smiled and began giggling. 

Both scooted a little closer to the other as they played in comfortable silence with Nini laying her head on his arm. 

Though the gang wanted a kiss on the lips, they had to admit that this was adorable. 

"Not the plan, but I'm not disappointed. Big Red whispers. 

"That damned cousin of mine just _had_ to be chased by swans, typical EJ." 

Carlos raises a brow at Ashlyn. "Why'd you say it like that's common?!" 

"Plan C will surely work then." Kourtney says.

"You mean Red's party?" Seb questions. 

"Shh guys they might hear us!" Gina says louder than intended. 

Suddenly, the closet door swings open. Ricky looks at his friends with a baffled expression while they stared back like deer's stuck in the headlights. 

"I can't wait to hear what excuse you guys have for hiding in the closet." 

They all look at each other trying to decide who'd be the first to come up with a lie.

Big Red jumped up. "Everyone book it!"

The redhead sprints out the door to the exit. The others all eventually get up and run before Ricky can ask any questions.

"See you guys tomorrow!" Kourtney yells as they shut the door behind them.

Nini stares at the door bewildered. "What the hell was that about?"

Ricky shrugs. "Who knows with that bunch." 

"Our friends are strange." 

"But we love them dearly."

She smiles. "Yes, we do." 

***

Saturday came, which was the day of Red's Christmas party. It's also where Plan C was supposed to take action. Red had placed a mistletoe on the back porch where Ricky and Nini usually sat when they wanted alone time from the group. 

The gang had all been doing their own thing in the basement and outside. Ricky had already been sitting in the spot, completely lost in thought. 

"Mind if I join?"

He directs his head to the familiar voice and smiles. "You know you're always welcome Neens." 

She plops down beside him, not leaving any room between the two. He wraps his arm around her shoulder. Kourtney points at the pair, and the others all watched from the window waiting to see if either would notice the mistletoe before they intervene again. 

"What're you so lost in thought about?"

He sighs as he absentmindedly rubs her arm. "Nothing much. Just wanted a breather from the rest of the group."

"I feel that. They can be a little much sometimes." 

A gust of wind blows by making Nini shiver. Ricky took off his jacket for her. "I told you to bring a sweater." 

She rejects his offer. "No, don't take it off. You'll be cold too."

"Neens, you know I won't let you freeze."

"And you know I won't let you give me your jacket either."

"Fine, let's share." He takes his arms out the sleeves and hands her her portion of the jacket.

She grinned before resting the jacket over hers and his shoulders. "Thanks." 

She wrapped her arms around his frame while he placed his hand on her waist. He had rested his head back a bit on the couch and caught a glimpse at the mistletoe. He squinted his eyes to make sure his vision was correct. 

"Another mistletoe?"

Nini peeked up at the ceiling and began blushing when she remembered the last time they were under a mistletoe. "It seems like it."

He looks down at her. "Should we..." 

They both become rosy cheeked, and it wasn't because of the draft. Nini felt her palms fidgeting. "Well it is tradition, and I don't wanna be known as the girl that breaks such an iconic practice."

"Well if it's that important to you..."

He rubs his hand on her hip and gazes into her eyes. There is an intensity in both of their stares. Nini's hand roams up his chest until it's snaking around his neck. He pulls her closer with one hand while the other cups her face. 

He steadily approached her lips, and she mirrored his actions. They stared at one another's lips before finally closing the distance between them. 

She assumed it would be one peck and then it'd be over, but she was very much wrong. Not like she was complaining though because it turns out that he's a phenomenal kisser. She let her hand travel into his hair, swirling her fingers on his curls. 

He deepens the kiss by pressing his face closer. She could feel his tongue graze her lips, asking for permission to enter. Before she could, the blaring and unpleasant sound of yelling, a menacing laugh, and drums erupted.

The pair pulled apart to see EJ chasing Big Red across the backyard with 12 drummer boys following closely behind. Neither of them seem to have seen Ricky and Nini on the porch. 

"I can't believe you've been behind these hellish 12 days!" EJ yells.

"It was funny, and you know it!" Red says breathlessly.

"You're not gonna be laughing when I get my hands on you Redonobitch!" 

The door opened and the rest of the gang came out. "Dammit Red, you and EJ ruined their moment, and it was getting good!" Carlos yelled.

"Let's get em!" Gina shouts.

The others all chase the redhead. Ricky and Nini just watched from the sidelines as the chaos escalated, becoming more confused by the second. 

"I'm not sure I even wanna know what's happening." Nini says. 

"I second that." He looks down to her. "But I do wanna know what's happening between us." 

She blushes and nervously fiddles with her hair. "I don't know about you, but I felt something when we kissed."

He lets out a sigh of relief. "Glad it wasn't just me."

She feels a weight lift off her shoulders at his response. "Good, so I think that maybe we should, I don't know, explore this. Go on a few dates, hold hands. You know, those coupley things. See where this goes."

He begins blushing before asking his question. "Can we kiss too?" He says so softly it came off as a whisper.

She smiles and nods. "Definitely.” She scrunched her nose in embarrassment when she realized how eager she sounded. “Does that sound like something you'd wanna do?"

He strokes his thumb on her cheek. "You had me at a few dates." 

They both smile, and he pecks her lips. He looks over at the commotion in the yard and realized it wouldn't be dying down anytime soon. He just wanted some peace with his favorite girl. 

"Let's go inside. I don't think I can handle those drummer boys any longer." 

"I'm with you on that one." 

He helped her up and guided them inside the house. They both sat on the couch and cuddled under a blanket. Both were sneaking a few kisses in between words, cherishing this moment, knowing this shared feeling would blossom into something beautiful one day. It was going to be a happy holiday season indeed. 

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit it's my 21st bday. That's so weird.
> 
> Also, more ppl voted for a one shot for the enemies to lovers fic (it was 11-5). It's gonna be my longest yet, and it will probably come out in late January since I already have fics planned for this month. So I already started working on it.
> 
> I love the Christmas season so much, and it's the perfect season to make fluffy fics.
> 
> Got the 12 Days of Christmas gag from some post I saw a while back. Thought it'd be fun to add.
> 
> Can't wait to see the holiday special, especially after listening to the soundtrack, seeing the bts photos and trailer! I plan on writing a fic after the special like I did on the book if I see something worth writing about (I probably will). Anyways, hope you guys liked it!


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